1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a separator and a separation method utilizing magnetism. For example, the present invention relates to a separator and a separation method which can be advantageously applied to processing steps which may be carried out during the manufacture of electronic components such as separation of media for electro-plating and electronic component chips and screening of good and defective electronic component chips based on whether or not the thickness of metal films formed on the surface thereof is proper.
2. Description of the Related Art
The manufacture of electronic components may involve an electro-plating process and a polishing process on electronic component chips, and such processes are normally performed with media mixed with the electronic component chips. This results in a need for separating the media from the electronic component chips after the processes. A mesh basket may be used during such separation of media and electronic component chips. This is to separate media and electronic component chips utilizing a difference between their dimensions by choosing a mesh size that allows only either media or electronic component chips which are smaller in dimensions to pass.
Further, when a metal film such as an electrode is to be formed on the surface of electronic component chips, barrel plating may be used to process a great number of electronic component chips at one time. However, some chips may not have a plating film of sufficient thickness formed thereon. Electronic component chips having such a plating film of an improper thickness must be eliminated. It is therefore necessary to determine whether or not a plating film has been formed to a sufficient thickness. However, heretofore there has been no efficient way to determine for an entire lot of electronic components whether or not the thickness of the plating films is proper. Instead, what has been done is only to sample several electronic component chips and observe their sections using a microscope or the like.
However, the separation of media and electronic component chips and the screening of good and defective electronic component chips based on whether or not the thickness of metal films formed on the surface thereof is proper as described above present a problem in that, in either case, troublesome and inefficient processes are involved and the certainty and reliability of separation is low.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a separator and a separation method which can solve the above-described problem.